Sand Mining

After water, sand is the most widely used natural resource.

Sand is mined, smuggled, and stolen, and the impacts of this have far-reaching socio-political, economic and environmental implications, accelerating coastal erosion, and destroying ecosystems that are relied upon by coastal communities for their very existence.

May 2, 2025

On the shore of the Volta River, near Akosombo, Eastern Region, Ghana - December 2018 (by Konrad Lembcke CC BY-ND 2.0 via Flickr).

Deadly ambush at sand winning site leaves five dead in Eastern Region – Modern Ghana

Excerpt:
A violent confrontation at a sand mining site in Asiyaw in Ghana’s Eastern Region has left at least five people dead and several others injured, following a deadly ambush during a community-led engagement aimed at curbing illegal sand mining in the area…

The clash occurred during a visit by the boundary chief of the Adonteng Division of the Akuapem Traditional Area, who was accompamied by sub-chiefs and concerned residents. The group had gathered at the site to hold discussions with stakeholders in response to mounting protests by local farmers and community members over environmental degradation caused by unregulated sand mining.

Residents, particularly farmers, have for months voiced frustration over the impact of illegal sand extraction on agricultural lands. Many say the destruction has crippled the cultivation of key crops such as pawpaw, cassava, and maize – staples for both subsistence an commercial farming in the area…

More on Sand Mining . . .

Sand extraction in Villeneuve-sur-Verberie, France, c 1910 (Dury, editor, Public domain, via Wikimedia).

A Civilization Built on Sand – Le Figaro

How ‘Yellow Gold’ Became a Resource Under Pressure…Sand is the second most consumed resource in the world after fresh water. Substance of our concrete civilization, its demand will intensify in the years to come. A situation that generates geopolitical tensions…

Sand mining, Mizoram, India (by Karen Conniff CC BY-NC 2.0 courtesy of Water Alternatives Photos via Flickr).

Looting of the sea: the great sand theft – ABC

It is the most demanded raw material after water. It is used to make concrete, chips, detergents, paints… and even artificial islands. The big cities are hungry for sand and to satisfy it, the world’s beaches are being plundered….

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